Families First assesses the impact of our programs using data from parent participants, community partners, and our Parenting Educators. Regularly analyzing this data enables us to understand the impact of our programs and continuously improve our work.

In 2016-17:

690 parents participated

Parents received nearly 3,000 program hours

Approximately 1,400 children benefited

30 partners collaborated

9 Parenting Educators facilitated programs

Participating parents reported improvement in:

Confidence in taking care of their child (92%)

Enjoyment of spending time with their child (94%)

Ability to set age-based expectations (93%)

Connection to other parents (78%)

Evaluation Highlights

All of our programs are evidence informed and centered on the Five Protective Factors framework. With these factors in place, families are able to thrive. Below are examples of evaluation results that show our impact in relation to each Protective Factor.

Parents’ supportive interactions and knowledge of child development build children’s abilities to self-regulate and communicate how they feel. With these abilities, they can build strong relationships throughout their lives.

“Now I try to understand my children’s perspectives and reflect on how they will feel when I speak to them a certain way. I listen, understand, and respect them.

“I’ve also seen changes in my son’s behavior… my son would act out physically, no listening. But now he uses his words; he tells me, ‘Mommy I don’t like this’ or ‘A friend hurt my feelings.’ And he holds me and his dad accountable for what we do, so I don’t get away with anything!” – Gigi, parent leader

A resilient parent manages stress and functions well when faced with parenting challenges. Being able to manage this stress enables parents to better care for themselves and their families.

“I give myself a time-out because I’m a yeller; so I go in my room. I take space so I can communicate. We’ll talk through the space under the door or the keyhole, and it works.”

Through our programs, parents learn and practice new ways of managing their stress.

Parents reported the following improvements:

Awareness of how stress affects a parent’s relationship with their child

Use of strategies to manage parenting stress

Confidence in parenting

Using our Identity Mapping evaluation tool, we are able to capture increases in parental resilience.

The Identity Map below demonstrates one parent’s negative emotions before the program and an entirely new outlook after the program. With the confidence and strategies she gained, she was able to see her parenting and relationship with her children in a more positive light.

A parent whose basic needs are met is able to focus more on his or her family.

“I didn’t have a driver’s license, I didn’t have a car, I didn’t finish high school, so it was hard to find a good paying job… but my son was my motivation.” – Omaira, parent participant

Collaborating with strong community partners allows us to expand beyond parenting support to meet additional family needs. This year, our efforts with partners allowed us to better support parents in the following areas:

Housing services

Financial literacy training and assistance

Interview guidance and attire

College credits

“Families First supports me to do whatever I want to do. If I want to take over the world, they’re like ‘We’re right there with you, Gigi!'” – Gigi, parent leader

Want to hear about new events and opportunities
to make a difference in the lives of families?